13th Bidding Round of Brazilian Areas of Exploration and Production of Oil and Natural Gas
The Brazilian National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) published the drafts of Tender Protocol and of the Concession Agreement for the 13th Bidding Round of areas of exploration and production of oil and natural gas. Two hundred and sixty six (266) blocks will be offered, divided into 10 sedimentary basins: Amazon, Parnaiba, Potiguar, Reconcavo, Sergipe-Alagoas, Jacuípe, Camamu-Almada, Espirito Santo, Campos and Pelotas. The Government intends to attract the participation of large, medium and small oil companies.
A second phase of the Round is also expected, when 11 inactive areas with marginal accumulations in Reconcavo, Tucano Sul, Parana, Barreirinhas, Potiguar and Espirito Santo basins will be tendered.
Companies interested in the 13th Bidding Round must go through the steps of qualification. Companies may be classified into operator A (ultra-deepwater, deepwater, shallow water and onshore), B (shallow water and onshore), C (onshore only) or non-operator (only in consortium with other companies). In the qualification stage, ANP will take into account aspects such as the experience of the bidder or its corporate group in E&P activities in Brazil and abroad, experience in environmentally sensitive areas, production volume, amount of investment in exploration activities, HSE criteria and experience of technical personnel.
For this bidding round, the minimum net asset to qualify a company as operator ranges from R$ 4,500,000.00 (Operator C) to R$ 122,000,000.00 (Operator A). Companies that have participated in previous rounds or having Concession Agreements or Production Sharing Agreements in force may use documentation already submitted and enjoy simplified qualification procedure.
Companies can only submit offers for blocks in sectors for which they have paid the Participation Fee. In this round, the Participation Fee ranges from R$ 32,500.00 to R$ 206,500.00.
The offers comprise Signature Bonus, Minimum Exploratory Program and Local Content Commitment. In the 13th Bidding Round, the lowest acceptable value of Signature Bonus is R$ 60,470.40 in the Reconcavo Basin. In turn, the Local Content Commitment ranges from 37% to 80% in the Exploration Phase and 55% to 85% in the Development Phase, as per the location of the block.
The drafts of Tender Protocol and of the Concession Agreement are available on the ANP website and at the Agency's Central Office, located in Rio de Janeiro. The documents are on public consultation until July 2. On July 9, a public hearing regarding the 13th Bidding Round is expected to take place in Rio de Janeiro.
The bidding is scheduled for October 7 and the signing of the Concession Agreement is scheduled for December 23. Below is the schedule:
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